Tag: Federal Trade Commission

Health insurance scam victims get almost $100 million in FTC refunds

Nordstrom
Health insurance scam - Warning

Consumers previously charged for sham medical plans will receive refunds. The Federal Trade Commission has announced that consumers that were charged for Benefytt Technologies-marketed scam health insurance plans will receive a refund as part of a total $100 million. This is the outcome of an FTC complain from August 2022 Benefytt and its third-party partners allegedly ran a number of deceptive websites aimed at consumers who were shopping for comprehensive health insurance plans that were Affordable Care Act qualified.  Agents were allegedly selling the Benefytt plans even though they were…

Read More

Allstate places spotlight on identity fraud risk from fake job offers

Nordstrom
Identity fraud - Fake Job Offer

The insurer recently found that almost 1 in 4 US workers have been contacted by these scammers. Allstate Insurance recently published its quarterly Identity Fraud in Focus report, in which it surveyed 2,200 American adults and found that 17 percent of them had seen or been contacted by a suspicious job opportunity in 2022. Those most commonly targeted by these remote employment scams were adults aged 18-34 years. The research was conducted August 27-August 28, 2022 on behalf of Allstate by Morning Consult. According to the findings, scammers have identified…

Read More

FTC issues warning about health insurance scams

Marc
Small Business health insurance

States are promoting their insurance exchanges, but consumers could be at risk of exploitation Many states in the U.S. are beginning to promote their health insurance exchange ahead of a new open enrollment period, but consumers are being warned that they could be taken advantage of by scams. The Federal Trade Commission has issued a warning about insurance scams that seek to prey on those that are shopping for policies through state-based exchange marketplaces. These exchanges will begin selling coverage in November, and those that are not careful about how…

Read More

Protect Yourself From Health Insurance Scams

Note From The Editor
Online health insurance scams can be avoided

The U.S. health care system has changed significantly since the passage of the Affordable Care Act. The federal law introduced many changes to the insurance space and health care market and helped change the way that people shop for health insurance coverage. With the launch of insurance exchanges, new marketplaces were opened up to consumers, but these exchanges also represented a promising opportunity for scammers that are looking to exploit a person’s private information. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission recently issued a warning about the growing prevalence of insurance scams,…

Read More

Newly drafted bill will oblige faster disclosure following data breach

Congress has been reviewing draft legislation requiring organizations to take greater care with the security of the personal data of their customers, and to offer faster disclosure should a data breach occur.  U.S. Representative Mary Bono Mack has circulated draft legislation of a bill for discussion on this topic after having held several hearings in order to reprimand Sony Corp. for taking so long to inform their customers about data lost during an attack to their PlayStation network.  Moreover, the proposed bill would include a regulation for businesses to start…

Read More